I love discovering independent homeware stores to share through my magazine feature work and this blog. Aside from the obvious joy of finding a real gem that offers lots of lovely goodies, I like to encourage the support of small independent retailers over the big household names. As a general rule, I find beautiful niche stores like Idyll Home here have a more refined style and you can really tell that the owners truly love each item they sell.

Based in the Shropshire countryside, Idyll Home has a wonderfully curated collection of products that fuse unique style with quality craftsmanship. The online store feels completely in tune with my personal interior style of combining rustic, whimiscal and industrial elements. I was particularly pleased to discover the Plisse silk lampshade by Tine K which I’ve been hunting for, and this beautiful hand-painted grey enamel jug and cup.

I love discovering classics that have stool the test of time due to great design and practical durability. A fine example is the Duralex Picardie glass tumbler.

French company Duralex has been making glasses since the 1930s. The iconic Picardie design is imbedded in French culture as the glass of choice in cafés and bistros and holds a certain nostalgia for being used in school and workplace canteens.

For decades, a game has been played at French school lunchtimes where every child at a table reads out the serial number stamped with the Duralex logo on the bottom of their water glass. The number – anything between 1 and 48 – became that child's "age" for that lunchtime and the "youngest" had to fetch the water for the rest of the table.

Described as the "ultimate drinking vessel created by man," the tumblers have been exhibited in art museums and even become the subject of essays on the principles of simple, satisfying, functional design.

Made from tempered glass in a variety of sizes, they are very difficult to break and make the perfect vessel for both hot and cold drinks. I first got my hands on the 90ml size for espresso, which I loved so much I have since bought the 310ml size to use for water, red wine, mulled cider and shorts. The larger highball size is great for longer drinks like smoothies, as well as being the perfect size for a cocktail shaker.  

The Picardie has a certain understated vintage charm and is a super affordable to boot. I can't imagine ever wanting to buy another type of tumbler. In the UK you can find them at Pedlars and Amazon, from just £3.95 for a pack of six.

Images: Faith Hopler at The Kitchn and Williams Sonoma

It is fair to say that I love buying pretty much all kinds of homewares, but ceramics are a particular weak spot. Mugs, bowls, plates and platters... I love them all and like to think of it as a growing collection that I'll display in my dream kitchen with open shelves and a lovely armoire like our gal Clémence.

I like pieces with a quirky edge, like the stunning work of Reiko Kaneko. Reiko was born in Britain and raised in Japan - a fusion which is reflected in her tableware made from British fine bone china with a Japanese twist. She works from a studio in East London and creates her ceramics in the traditional home of pottery - Stoke-on-Trent. Her beautiful work is stocked throughout the UK and worldwide and I'm totally smitten. My favourites are the Breakfast Express egg cups (below) and The Boat. What are yours?

Other posts you might like:

Japanese goodies at Dunelm Mill

Falcon Enamelware

Melody Rose Ceramics

Treesizeverse

rib & hull

I seem to have been on an eternal hunt for the perfect brown leather bag. Remember those amazing designs from Russian designer/maker Nutsa Modebadze who I blogged about last year? Just beautiful.

But I need something bigger to carry my life around in and have searched high and low for the perfect piece of arm candy. It needs to be quite simple, even a bit masculine, with no excessive gold hardwear or logos. It's honestly harder to find than you might think.

I somehow managed to overlook Etsy… until last night. I should have know it would have a bevvy of handmade beauties. Just a shame about some of the shipping prices.

Echt Lynn

Sidney and Sons

Here in the UK the store Wickes has long had a blokey reputation - a fantastic source for tradesmen and DIY enthusiasts, but not so much for interior junkies like me. OK, so I know power tools, screws and wall plugs are needed to put up my pretty pictures, but they just don't excite me like moodboards and fabric samples do. What can I say, I'm a girlie girl!

Finally recognising that women tend to make the majority of decorating decisions in a relationship, Wickes have completely overhauled their approach to paint this year. Now you won't be surprised to hear that I get quite giddy about paint colours, but I have to say I'm particularly impressed by Wickes' latest range. Fashion-led brights coupled with beautiful neutrals in a stylish matt finish make up the new nine shade collection, with quality coverage and a great price to seriously rival the big names in paint.

Below is a selection of my fave shades and set styling - what do you think?

French Manicure

Artichoke

Mango

Seychelles

Driftwood

My current interiors obsession lies in wallpaper, but not just any wallpaper - the beautiful Dalston Rose from House of Hackney. Now I have to admit to not being completely sold when husband and wife due Javvy M Royle and Frieda Gormley launched with the collection last year. While I loved the stunning designs and could certainly see what everyone was so excited about, I was unsure how to make the wallpapers work at home in a small space.

Daltson Rose, £72 a roll at MyDeco

Well that was until I glimpsed the wallpaper in the Hackney home of Sarah Ellison in the latest issue of Heart Home Magazine. I like how Sarah has worked it into her Victorian terrace home and share her evident love for dark moody hues, á la Abigail Ahern.

I'm completely gutted that renting means I can't wallpaper one of the rooms in my attic office as I know the dark navy roses and antique nude background would look fantastic against the old oak beams. I'm determined to work it into the house somehow though and am considering making a simple timber headboard to cover instead.

What do you think, are you a fan?

I’m excited to share a fabulous new online concept store with you today – Rigby and Mac. It is an amalgamation of three bricks and mortar stores in South London, each with a distinctly different style that you can now shop from in one inspiring online space.

There’s the Dulwich Trader at No.9, which combines country style with a touch of glamour; Tomlinsons at No.89 expressing a feminine, vintage feel; and Ed at No.41 with a modern and quirky fusion of Scandinavian design and global influences. I think the Dulwich Trader is my fave, but I'd like to incorporate bits from Ed too. Which is your favourite style?

Dulwich Trader at No.9

Tomlinsons at No.89

Ed at No.41

As interior style sees a resurgence in pared-back simplicity last seen following the recovery of the Wall Street Crash in 1947, industrial style lighting has become highly covetable. I've found it is not always easy to come by however, until I recently discovered fabulous Cornwall-based company - Skinflint Design. Specialists in reclaimed and salvage pieces - they are the place to go for original lighting from the 1920s to 1960s. Here's just a selection of my favourite pieces.

I have been a little quiet about our moving house - mainly because we are still so surrounded by boxes that I'm too embarrassed to share photos! But soon they will come as we get ourselves sorted and in the meantime I'm on a quest to find some new pieces to adorn our walls.

The work of Manchester design graduate Hannah Lloyd caught my eye over at Not on the highstreet, with her collection of customisable bespoke art prints. I'm particularly drawn to the passport stamp, and the personalised ampersand would make a fantastic wedding gift. Great work, Hannah.